Magic eraser on leather?

[swanicyouth]

well, i absolutely WILL use a magic eraser on leather when the situation calls for it. I use it with meguiars d101 and if used appropriately then just because it's abrasive and CAN remove the leathers coating doesn't mean you can't go about using it safely. If you're cleaning leather that is heavily soiled I'm pretty sure you could do plenty of damage by using a super strong chemical and scrubbing the #### out of it with a soft bristled scrub brush or a non-abrasive scrub pad.

You may think your good because there is no color on the Eraser. But, you are removing the top clear polyurethane coat on the leather nonetheless. Which is fine if it's your car - but is a shame if someone pays a detailer to clean their seats who doesn't know any better and this is what they use.

I would only use M.E. on leather if the only alternative was to get the piece re-colored. M.E. is just a fine sandpaper - you are just sanding the surface when you use one.

Magic eraser is totally fine depending on the color of the leather/plastic. Light color leather is fine but do not scrub with force. However, dark color leather I never use magic eraser, but a brush and vapor steamer. Take my advice or not, or learn the hard way in the future. Magic eraser is not the problem, but the inappropriate technique and usage is.

What difference does the color make? Because one color hides the damage a M.E. Inflicts and one doesn't?

[Eldorado2k]

Magic eraser is totally fine depending on the color of the leather/plastic. Light color leather is fine but do not scrub with force. However, dark color leather I never use magic eraser

That's like saying a perticular polish or wax can be used on a light colored vehicle, but never use that same wax on a dark colored vehicle...

[swanicyouth]

That's like saying a perticular polish or wax can be used on a light colored vehicle, but never use that same wax on a dark colored vehicle...

It's even worse IMHO.

At least wax/polish is doing SOMETHING good for the surface. You may not need an ultra fine polish for a white/silver car simply because ultra-fine scratch patterns may not be visible to the naked eye on these colors.

But the M.E. is actually damaging the top clear coat of the leather - regardless what color you are using it on.

[Eldorado2k]

But the M.E. is actually damaging the top clear coat of the leather - regardless what color you are using it on.

Correct. That's why even though I have M.E. available in my bag, I never use them on leather seats. I have done a test spot with them on my own leather seats and I immediately felt like I was on a very short leash with it.. And the bad part is that if you're having to resort to use a M.E. on leather, it means that the stain/spot is so bad that it requires aggressive rubbing to remove, and aggressive rubbing + M.E. gets dangerous in a hurry.
M.E. always requires rubbing in order to work.

I'd rather use Soft Scrub bathroom cleaner and a soft nylon brush to clean leather seats vs. a Magic Eraser.

[Maestro Sam]

You may think your good because there is no color on the Eraser. But, you are removing the top clear polyurethane coat on the leather nonetheless. Which is fine if it's your car - but is a shame if someone pays a detailer to clean their seats who doesn't know any better and this is what they use.

I would only use M.E. on leather if the only alternative was to get the piece re-colored. M.E. is just a fine sandpaper - you are just sanding the surface when you use one.



What difference does the color make? Because one color hides the damage a M.E. Inflicts and one doesn't?

Color makes a huge difference. Everything from using a brush/apc to using a magic eraser is an considered abrasive. Just like polishing pads, magic erasers come in all shapes, sizes, and stiffness. I use a magic eraser that is less abrasive than the mr.clean brand. If you are putting pressure on the magic eraser on leather, that will definately damage the coating. Like I said, it really depends on what type of eraser you use, color, and the amount of pressure you put. I have done this on many cars without having any sort of color change, color residue after rubbing, or damage. I will stick with this method and you stick with yours.

[Maestro Sam]

That's like saying a perticular polish or wax can be used on a light colored vehicle, but never use that same wax on a dark colored vehicle...

Like I said, if your going to use a m.e on a leather, its better to do it on a light interior than a dark. A lot of detailers use m.e on light plastic not on dark to remove scuff marks. Anything you rub against leather, such as a brush/apc, towel/apc multiple times on dirty leather can jeopardize the coating on a vehicle. I have done tons of vehicles with soft brand m.e without using any pressure without damaging or getting any color slurs off from leathers.

[Eldorado2k]

Just like polishing pads, magic erasers come in all shapes, sizes, and stiffness. I use a magic eraser that is less abrasive than the mr.clean brand.

I'm currently using the fake Magic Erasers from China that I bought in bulk on the bay.. What are those considered? Mild or aggressive? I'm not sure, but I do know that they're not the high quality when compared to the real original Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. The China ones suck.

They work, just not as quik. And they fall apart rather fast.

[Maestro Sam]

I'm currently using the fake Magic Erasers from China that I bought in bulk on the bay.. What are those considered? Mild or aggressive? I'm not sure, but I do know that they're not the high quality when compared to the real original Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. The China ones suck.

They work, just not as quik. And they fall apart rather fast.

Hahaha yea nothing can compare with the original eraser but I use a brand that is 4x cheaper and way softer than mr clean. Mr. clean is to stiff and abrasive so I go purchase some softer erasers from a Korean store. Even if they don't last as long as mr.clean, they are way softer and less abrasive.

[Eldorado2k]

According to Sonax they're ok to use on leather...

http://www.autogeek.net/sonax-dirt-eraser.html

I found them while browsing the AG store. I'm surprised no one's ever mentioned them.


Sent from my iPhone

[AttyVette]

Don't do it....before I found this forum, a friend said I should use the magic eraser on our cars leather seat to remove a ink stain...he told me it worked good. Well needless to say, I tried it on cream colored leather seat to remove the ink stain and it removed the stain AND the coating on the leather. Nothing I did after that restored the leather to the "before" condition and I was unhappy with how it looked for the entire time we owned the car. Lesson learned..I should have researched his suggestion further and wouldn't have damaged the leather seat in my car!